Basics of Mechanical Ventilation

This book is a practical and easily understandable guide for mechanical ventilation. With a focus on the basics, this text begins with a detailed account of the mechanisms of spontaneous breathing as a reference point to then describe how a ventilator actually works and how to effectively use it in practice. The text then details: the various modes of ventilation commonly used in clinical practice; patient-ventilator interactions and dyssynchrony; how to approach a patient on the ventilator with respiratory decompensation; the optimal ventilator management for common disease states like acute respiratory distress syndrome and obstructive lung disease; the process of ventilator weaning; and hemodynamic effects of mechanical ventilation. Written for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians in a variety of different specialties (including internal medicine, critical care, surgery and anesthesiology), this book will instruct readers on how to effectively manage a ventilator, as well as explain the underlying interactions between it and the critically ill patient.


Hooman Poor is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He attends regularly in the medical intensive care unit, teaching medical students, residents, and fellows. Dr. Poor is an acclaimed educator and has received many awards for his teaching. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.